Palmer's new party courting Qld MPs

Former Queensland Liberal National Party MP Carl Judge will decide next week whether to join Clive Palmer's new political party.

Mr Palmer is re-forming the United Australia Party (UAP), which was dissolved in 1945, and had applied for its registration in Queensland.

Mr Judge, who holds the Brisbane seat of Yeerongpilly, has been courted by Mr Palmer since he became independent in November 2012.

He told AAP he'd decide his political future next week.

"I'll be having a look at the situation and taking a few days to consider it all," he said.

"It certainly has its benefits to be working together with other people in a united way."

The LNP party room voted to oust Mr Judge last year, accusing him of breaching party room confidentiality as well as other "unacceptable behaviour".

Alex Douglas, who defected from the LNP to become an independent, also in November, told AAP he'd be making a statement in parliament on Tuesday on whether he'd join the UAP.

Dr Douglas says his wife will be with Mr Palmer when he formally announces the party on Friday morning.

He said she would probably be an executive member of the party and would work to increase membership and raise funds.

"I'll let them make all the big announcements this morning," he told AAP.

Susie Douglas is a former Gold Coast councillor and former senior vice president of the Queensland National Party.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard preferred not to comment, saying it was a matter for Mr Palmer and the appropriate party registration processes.

The federal opposition's deputy leader, Julie Bishop, said Mr Palmer or anyone else was entitled to take part in the election process.

"I assume he will make election promises and I welcome a contest of ideas," she told Sky News.

Former Liberal Party director Nick Minchin said Mr Palmer's move was "utterly ridiculous".

"To think you can set up a nationwide political party and run candidates in every seat three months out from an election is ludicrous," he said.

Mr Minchin, a former Howard government minister, described Mr Palmer as "a good conservative".

"Frankly, he should just get behind the coalition and back us in."

Former Labor national secretary Stephen Loosley predicted Mr Palmer would fall at the first hurdle.

But should the billionaire businessman proceed with his plan, the new party would give Queensland voters three conservative groups from which to choose: the Liberal-National Party, the Katter Australian Party and Palmer's party.

That would give voters a choice between "a dead hand, a deadhead and a dead loss", he said.

"The danger for the coalition of course is that it fragments the vote and preferences spray," Mr Loosley told Sky News.

"For the ALP there is some value in preference sprays if Mr Palmer actually comes into the fray."

This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.